Holiday Entertaining Giveaway! Enter to win a KitchenAid Mixer and a Keurig Elite!

Fall is one of my absolute favorite times of the year. Just thinking about the cooler weather, the upcoming Holidays, and getting to wear cute boots puts me in the mood to grab a latte, break out my KitchenAid, and start baking for our family and friends. If you're like me and think Fall/Winter, Baking, and Coffee go together like the Three Musketeers, then you will love the giveaway my friends and I have put together for you!

One lucky winner will win a Kitchen Aide Stand-Up Mixer & a Keurig Elite Coffee Machine!

This elite group of creative bloggers listed below has teamed up to offer you this amazing Holiday Entertaining Giveaway!  We are all lovers of food, family & holiday creating & we want to spread our Holiday cheer by offering this special giveaway to one of our readers!

 

Even if you're not big on baking, or drinking coffee, I bet you know someone who is! Imagine winning, and getting to gift someone with one of these amazing machines! What a way to say Merry Christmas, right?

To Enter:
 *Follow the guidelines in the rafflecopter box below.
*Please make sure you do what is asked, because we will be verifying the winner & their entries!
*In addition to the entries below, you also have the option to tweet about this giveaway everyday for additional entries!
*It is very important that you do every single step.  Don't forget!

This giveaway will end in 10 days.  It is our goal to get this Entertaining Giveaway to the doorstep of the winner by Thanksgiving week!

We would love for you stick around after the giveaway is over for some more awesomeness along the way, because this is only the beginning of what's to come for the holiday season!  
Thanks for stopping by & good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rian’s Room Makeover… Second time around and I need your help

I’ve been working on a few project this month. Seriously, the change in the weather put me into DIY mode and I’ve been banging out projects… Projects like this gir'l’s room

This is what her room was looking like…
And in this month I got the bug to paint her room and bring in all new décor now that she’s in her “big girl bed”.

I went with a dark gray that I mixed up myself. I had to do something with all my oops paint and left over colors, right? 

We added a new LANE Recliner chair that we got from TJMaxx, switched her crib out with the twin bed from Levi’s room, and I purchased new bedding from Target.

The whole room isn’t done yet, but I’ve been working on projects here and there and sharing them on Instagram. And even asking for your opinions and to vote on them. Like this mirror that I painted last night…  I bought it from Target and new I was going to paint it. But I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go with Gold or with White.

So I asked for people to throw in their votes, and the answer was GOLD. About 30 minutes later I had it painted and hung up in her room…

But I’m definitely not done with her room, and would love your help or ideas. The next project I am working on is her lamp.

I need a shade for it, or need to make one. I don’t know if I should leave the lamp the dark oil rubbed bronze color it is right now or if I should paint it, or maybe just add a little gold rub n buff to it in some places so that it looks similar to the bird knobs on her dresser that I got from World Market…

So what do you think? Should I paint the lamp? Just add the gold rub n' buff to it? And what about the lamp shade? Any suggestions for color or design?
Help me decide. You can leave any suggestions in the comments below, or share them with me on my Facebook page, or Twitter, or Instagram.  I would love it if you gave your vote on Instagram before I finished with the projects and you’d get to see the process as I go along too. My user name on Instagram is @alwaysnwonder. 
Thanks friends!

My #SoCal Social recap

This past weekend I took a trip down south to visit with some friends and meet-up with some awesome bloggers at the SoCal Social. I got to meet Mark Montano (author of The Big-Ass Book of Crafts, The Big-Ass Book of Crafts 2, and he gave each of us his new book The Big-Ass Book of Bling).

The SoCal Social was so much fun. Imagine a day with perfect weather, shopping in cute stores filled with antiques, vintage finds, and home décor, a delicious dinner, and plenty of time to catch up with friends or meet new ones.  And on top of all that you get a bag full of awesome swag! (Below is just a few of the things that came in the swag bag. Seriously, there were too many things to list!)

Yarn from Lion Brand, a cute note card set from Paris In A Cup, an yummy Spice Cake candle from Goose Creek, a cute ruffle to fit your favorite headband from Funky Polka Dot Giraffe, fabric from Mountain of the Dragon Etsy Shop , a cute quoted print from the Queen Bee Market, and all those cute stickers, labels, bags and the lid and straw are from We Love Citrus.
And hello, we also each got 3 cans of KRYLON Spray Paint in our swag bag, a can of Fish Foam (it’s awesome as a window and glass cleaner, I use it all the time on my mirrors and windows), and an amazingly tasty push pop cake from Meringue Bake Shop.
Besides all the great swag I brought home, I also picked up a few cute things when I was shopping during the swag walk…

Some antique keys, from Elsewhere Vintage, that I plan on using like pendants for a necklace. A yummy smelling bar of soap from EIKON Home, it’s from France and the scent is Honey Almond. And some delicious chocolate from The Bruery. The shops were awesome and I really wish I would have had more time to shop and look in all of them.
After the Swag Walk we all met up for dinner at Avila’s El Ranchito Mexican Restaurant.
Dinner was so much fun, I loved talking with all of the ladies I met… getting to hear Mark speak to all of us… and let’s face it, any meal where I only have to concentrate on feeding myself and not my two kids is going to go down in the books as fan-freakin-tastic.
Next year I am definitely making the drive to go again, that is if Bev and Viv feel like being rock stars again and throwing another amazing SoCal Social! If you went or really wanted to go, please tell them how amazing the day was or looked like it was so they’ll know how much we want them to do it again!

My Living room makeover inspiration- Enter the Passport to Style Sweepstakes from #WorldMarket_HGTV

Okay, so I have never really had the chance to makeover our living room, and I desperately want to.  I mean, I’ve painted the walls, and a few pieces of furniture and the lamps, but we’re still stuck with the couch and loveseat that my mom and dad gave me when I moved out on my own in 2005. And the couch and love seat are now about 19 years old. Still comfortable, but not attractive. Hence the slipcovers. The slip covers that drive me nuts, because about 10 minutes after putting them on my kids are already pulling them off, or trying to at least.  And underneath it’s not pretty folks. Not pretty at all!

So my plan right now is to start making over our living room, and hopefully end up with a new couch and loveseat… I’ve got painting all the walls on my to do list. And depending on the color I go with, I may or may not be painting the turquoise dresser. Gasp!

And I would love to add more to the walls. Hello big blank space. Let’s fill you up with pictures, or move the mirror there, and a dresser or something…

Yes, I have big plans for our living room. Big plans and lots of inspiration. Want to see my awesome wish list/inspiration board for our living room?

1. CHOCOLATE VICTORIA VELVET TUFTED HIGH-BACK CHAIR  2. AIDEN COFFEE TABLE   3. COOL PIAZZA LUMBAR PILLOW  4. GREY SQUARE PEDESTAL TABLE LAMP   5. DISTRESSED WOODEN CANDLESTICK ACCENT LAMP BASE   6. MALLARD VELVET CURTAIN    7. SIMONE END TABLE   8. BRAZILIAN ORCHID CANDLES   9. MEDALLION FLOCKED LUMBAR PILLOW   10. WHITE GARRISON FRAMES, SET OF 4   11.  ISLA CARVED MIRROR COLLECTION  12. LINDLEY SOFA   13. AVOCADO TATUM THROW  14. WHITEWASH ELIZABETH CARVED FRAMES
I pretty much spent an hour virtual shopping at World Market last night. I couldn’t help but want almost every item I saw.  And it doesn’t help my day dreaming knowing that World Market is going to give one lucky person a gift of a lifetime, because whoever wins the World Market Passport to Style Sweepstakes will win $10,000 to spend at World Market and a HGTV Celebrity Designer Consultation!  And even if you don’t win, you might be a runner up and 3 of those people will win $1,000 to spend at World Market!
THINGS TO KNOW:

• The World Market HGTV Passport to Style  Sweepstakes runs from September 22, 2012 until October 26, 2012.
• If you share the sweepstakes with 5 of your friends (via FB share or email) you can receive 5 additional bonus entries. This is part of the registration process when entering. Users can also enter daily for more chances to win.
• Enter online at http://worldmarketsweepstakes.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/worldmarket/app_315124871876517

Shopping in store at World Market is always fun for me and not just because I can find great items like the ones above on my wish list, it’s because World Market loves their customers and is always rewarding them with great deals, and offers. If you’re a frequent shopper at World Market like I am you need to sign up for their World Market Explorer Program. You can earn exclusive perks, like coupons and offers, previews, and lots more. 

Be sure to check out World Market on

TWITTER / FACEBOOK / PINTEREST / GOOGLE+ / INSTAGRAM

DISCLOSURE: This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™, but all my opinions are my own.  http://cmp.ly/3/KqtZiE.

7 Spooky Treats for your Halloween

Have you been getting into the Halloween spirit this month? Are you searching Pinterest for some spook-tacular treats to serve up to your family or friends? Well look no further because I’m sharing 7 Spooky Treats from me and some lovely blogging friends with you today.







1. Halloween Cookie Pops from me 




2. Pumpkin Patch Cookie Cupcakes from Madigan Made 




3. Mini Candy Corn Cook­ies from Always Expect Moore 



4. Veg­gie Jack O’ Lantern from Mom Endeavors 




5. Pump­kin Spice Rice Krispie Treats from Rhonda at Mrs. Greene 




6. Hal­loween No Bake Cheese­cakes from Hon­ey­bear Lane 




7. Mon­ster Mal­lows from The Coun­try Chic Cottage





One or more of those treats is sure to get you in the Halloween spirit, right?  Be sure to check out all of the posts for the recipes!

Happy Friday everyone!

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

I had to share the recipe I used to make one of the best chocolate buttercream frostings I’ve had. Justin and the kids loved it.
CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
2 cups (16 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups powdered sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8-10 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, melted and semi-cooled
1. Using the wire whisk attachment of your stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for a minimum of 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl a couple of times.
2. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add in the powdered sugar. Once all of the powdered sugar is added in, increase the speed to medium-high & add in the vanilla. Add in the melted chocolate and whip at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. You will need to scrape the bowl a few times to make sure all of the chocolate is mixed in.
This recipe will make enough for 24 cupcakes.

Halloween Cupcake Toppers! Create them in 15 minutes or less!

I know lots of you are getting into the Halloween Spirit, right?  Maybe you have already started planning your big Halloween Monster Bash and cupcakes are on your need to make list. If so, then I have a cute and completely easy way to make your cupcakes Halloween ready.
These cupcake toppers are a perfect way to add some Halloween spirit to your yummy treats. You can even use them on appetizers!
You only need a few things to make the toppers.

I bought some Martha Stewart Crafts Halloween adhesive borders at Michaels, and cut them into different sizes. Then I used my hot glue gun to attach toothpicks to the newly cut shapes.

And of course you need plenty of yummy cupcakes!